The Fate of Hogwarts
by EbonyKieran
Summary: A Next Generation fic. Ebony, daughter of Oliver Wood, and Kieran, a muggleborn, set off on their first year at Hogwarts, alongside Albus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy, Rose Weasley, and a newcomer. Read as they get adjusted to the castle and find the evil that lurks within. From meeting Hagrid for the first time, to the new DADA professor, this year will be a great new start for them.
1. Ebony's Introduction

December 2, 2005. Oliver rushed to his wife's side, smiling when he saw her holding a little pink blanket in her arms. Sofia Wood smiled and held out their baby girl for Oliver to hold. Oliver took his daughter, and said, "What should we name her, Sofia?" Both looked thoughtful, before Sofia stated, "Ebony."

"Ebony Alexandra Wood" Oliver stated, and the nurse who was previously unnoticed wrote down their choice, magically sending the birth certificate to the Ministry of Magic. Oliver starts to tear up, stating, "I wish Mom and Dad could be here for this." Sofia, being helped into a laying position, nodded. Ebony slowly opened her eyes, looking up at her Dad. She gurgled. Oliver smiled, and handed Ebony to her mother, who started to feed Ebony for the first time.

* * *

Ebony, now four years old, ran towards her Daddy. "Hi, Daddy! I came to watch you play Quittich!" Ebony said, messing up the word Quidditch. Oliver picked up his little girl, and spun her around before planting a kiss on his wife's cheek. Sofia smiled, saying "Oliver, I'm going to go shopping for a special event. I'll see you tonight." And she left Oliver and Ebony. Ebony ran around the Quidditch pitch until she wore herself out, whereupon she lay down in the grass and fell asleep.

Oliver, after a few more hours of training, picked Ebony up and carried her home, to wait for his wife. After Sofia wasn't home in time for dinner, Oliver was worried beyond belief. He phoned Angelina Weasley, and asked her to watch Ebony while he went and searched for Sophia. Ebony, confused, went through the Floo Network to stay with Angelina.

"Ebony, dearie. I'm going to have you stay here for a few hours. I'll pick you up soon, love. See you around 10pm" Oliver said, as he left the Floo and went in search of his wife. Ebony, shy and scared, sat on Angelina's lap until Angelina needed to cook. At that point, Fred II and Roxanne came running into the house along with George Weasley. Angelina told George what was happening, and Fred II, who was 6, helped George set the table for dinner. Ebony sat where Angelina left her, wishing her Daddy was there too.

* * *

Meanwhile, Oliver went to the Ministry to file a missing person's report. He had searched all of Sofia's favorite shops looking for her, and she was nowhere to be found. Oliver was just about to turn into the Department he needed, when he heard his name being called. "Oliver! Wait up!" He turned around, and immediately recognized the Savior of the Wizarding World. "Harry, how're you doing? I haven't seen you in forever." Harry simply relied, "I'm doing well," until his face went solemn. "Oliver, do you by chance know someone named Sofia Wood?" Harry asked, hoping it wasn't someone important to his former Quidditch Captain. Oliver's heart broke.

When the Head Auror mentioned his wife, he fell to his knees. "What happened to my Sofia?" Harry helped Oliver to his feet, leading him towards another floo. "She's at St. Mungo's at the moment. We don't know if she's gonna be alright. Some former death eaters, a la Bellatrix, decided to Crucio several muggles in a child's store. Sofia was among them, and we are trying to stabilize her. Draco Malfoy, Head Healer, is working on her case as we speak." Harry led Oliver through the floo into Malfoy's office, where Draco sat there, head in his hands. Draco looked up when he heard the flames erupt, and when he saw Harry, Draco simply shook his head. "W-What happened?" Oliver asked, his voice breaking as he dreaded the news he was about to receive.

Draco stood, and stated, very professionally, "She couldn't handle the stress of the curse. Sofia took 10 Crucio curses, trying to save a few muggle children who were treated for minor injuries in a local muggle hospital. None of the children were injured, but Sofia… Life support is the only thing keeping her heart working. And the machines and spells we have cast are only wearing her down more. She's fading, Oliver, and there's nothing we can do to stop her. She only has a few hours left."

Harry, knowing the couple had a small daughter the same age as his youngest son, said, "Oliver, where is your young one? I'll go collect her and bring her to Sofia's room."

"S-she's with George and Angelina Weasley." Oliver said, numb from the knowledge that he would soon be alone to take care of his daughter. Harry left them, and Draco helped Oliver to his feet from the chair Oliver had collapsed into. "This way, Oliver."

* * *

Ebony looked up when the floo roared to life, an hour earlier than her Daddy had said he would be returning. Seeing that the man entering wasn't her dad, Ebony visibly deflated. She wanted her Mommy and her Daddy. Angelina immediately stood and helped Harry, who still hadn't gotten the hang of the Floo network after all these years, to his feet from the soot-covered stop on the floor. "Sorry Angelina. I've come for Ebony. Something happened to Sofia Wood." Angelina, nodded, and Ebony stood from her chair by the couch. Harry knelt down to Ebony's level, and said, "Ebony, darling. I am an old friend of your daddy's. He sent me to come get you to take you to him and your mommy. Alright?" Ebony nodded, and took Harry's hand. Both disappeared through the floo, with Angelina hugging George as Ebony's last sight of the house.

Harry led Ebony through white hallways, and into a room that smelled of cleaning supplied and antiseptic, not that Ebony knew what the smell was. Ebony saw her Daddy and immediately went to him. Oliver picked her up and held her close. Ebony, unsure of what had just happened, hugged her daddy close and both father and daughter started to cry. Harry and Draco both silently exited the room to give the family time to grieve. Ebony had missed her mother's passing by three minutes.

* * *

A few days later, Oliver dressed Ebony in a black dress, complete with a mini veiled hat. Oliver, wearing a suit, then held Ebony close to him as he disapparated to the location of the burial. Ebony, not knowing what was going on, simply stayed silent as they lowered a human-sized box into the ground and people she didn't know come over to her daddy and her and hugged them. Ebony, who had just turned 5 years old, witnessed her mother's funeral without knowing. The only thing that Ebony knew for sure was that Mommy wasn't coming home and Daddy was going to be taking care of her as best he could.

At age 8, Ebony was given a toy broomstick to play on while her Dad coached Quidditch. She missed her mom and knew that her dad did too, but Ebony was beyond fairy tales and wishing wells. Ebony knew that her mother had died, and that her dad was the one who suffered the most. As she flew, Oliver was again coaching the Puddlemere United.

* * *

Ebony, very self-sufficient at 9 years old, was pushing the toy broom to its limits, playing keep off the ground with the quaffle when the chasers dropped it. She tosses the red ball back up into the air towards the first chaser to dive by close enough.

Soon after practice, Oliver and Ebony return to their apartment by the Leaky Cauldron, Muggle side. Ebony places her broom in the closet, and heads to her little bedroom, changing into more comfortable clothes. Oliver starts dinner after showering, making chicken sandwiches. Ebony begins making a small salad for them to eat as well. The TV blaring in the background turns to news, which reveals the weather for the next day. "The rain coming in from the west will be a freezing rain, followed by a cloudy, but thankfully dry Saturday. Back to you, Jim." Jim, the anchorman, is drowned out by the traffic from the busy street outside. Ebony closes the window and turns the TV down. "Dad?" Ebony asks, only to cringe as the oil in the pan starts to spatter, almost hitting Oliver's hand. He shakes it off and turns the heat off.

"Yes, dear?" Oliver replies, removing the chicken and placing them on a plate to serve. Both father and daughter sit at the table and begin to eat. "Were the chasers dropping the Quaffle on purpose today? I was catching a lot more than normal." Oliver laughs, and nods. "They were testing you. I'm very proud of you, dear. Not dropping a single Quaffle they purposefully dropped to let you catch." Ebony, looking down at her food, nodded embarrassed.

"You'll make a fine keeper one day." Oliver says, as they clean up. Ebony, after doing her part of the dishes, starts up an old PlayStation, putting in one of her favorite games that Uncle Arthur gave her, "Spyro the Dragon TM" She plays until her father sends her to sleep.

* * *

Oliver wakes his ten year old daughter, almost a year later. The calendar on the wall showed the date of December 2. The days before this are crossed off, and there's a sticker of a cake on the square for today. Ebony, wiping the sleep from her eyes, looks over to her dad to see he's holding a parchment envelope addressed in green ink. Ebony's eyes widen and she immediately grabs for it. Oliver hands it to her, after a quick game of 'keep the envelope away from Ebony'. Ebony opens the letter reverently, and pulls out both of the parchment slips inside.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall

_Order of Merlin: First Class, Professor of the Year for 10 years_

Dear Ms. Wood,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Filius Flitwick

Filius Flitwick

Deputy Headmaster

Ebony squealed as she grasped the parchment to her chest. Oliver laughed, and hugged his daughter before stating that he already sent the acceptance. Ebony immediately rushed to the empty frame on her desk, placing the letter in the glass pane to display it proudly. She hugged her dad, before asking when they were going shopping. They decided to go get a congratulatory gift (a broom, as decided by Ebony) now, and get the rest over the summer.

Ebony and Oliver walked into Diagon Alley and walk over to Quality Quidditch Supplies, and upon entering, Ebony rushes over to look at their broom selection. They ultimately settle on a Comet 720, the newest model, and take it to the register to pay. They then return to their flat to eat food and spend the day goofing off.

* * *

A few days later, they go to the graveyard where Sofia was buried. Tears in her eyes, Ebony spoke to Sofia about her Hogwarts letter, and how she couldn't wait to experience everything that her parents had. Oliver then lays a bouquet of white roses, Sofia's favorite, on the ground in front of the headstone. Ebony lays a single red rose with them, paid from her allowance, as well as another framed copy of the letter Ebony was sent from Hogwarts. Both turn and walk home, tears in their eyes and their thoughts on Sofia.


	2. Kieran's Introduction

Chapter 1 Part 2

June 2nd, 2006

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but we lost one of the babies," the natal surgeon explained much to the horror of his patient and her husband, "The boy had the umbilical cord tied around his neck, and unfortunately we could not save him in time. He must have been suffocating for about 13 days, from what it looks like. Your daughter is perfectly fine, however. Would you like me to bring her in?"

"Not yet," the mother quivered as she turned to her husband, whose face paled with sorrow and livid rage, "I would like to discuss a few things with my husband first, if you don't mind."

"Certainly," he said, "Hit the red button if you need anything." The doctor picked up the wooden clipboard and shuffled out of the room, into a sea of monitor beeps and gossiping nurses.

Joanna turned to her husband, "This can't just be a coincidence, can it? I mean, she is our only daughter."

Felix turned upright, once again retaining stern form, "No. Nothing in this world is a coincidence. This is a work of the Dark Lord, Satan, which has affected us personally. Unfortunately, we cannot kill her, as she is still a child of the Lord, no matter how much strife she has and will cause. We will call her Kieran, for her darkness will supercede her wherever she will go."

"Kieran Sarai Himmel, I pray that you will go against your namesake and live a life of holiness and eternity," Joanna clasped her hands around her husband's, "I pray that you will be double the light that you were originally intended to be, both for yourself and your lost twin brother. Lord, bless her and keep her from the dark path that the Dark Lord has set. Amen."

November 30th, 2010

"Mommy, do you think Elijah would like this?" Kieran held up a Transformers doll, grinning like only a four year old could. Christmas was only weeks away, and her mother was already shopping abundantly for her father and brother. Thankfully it was Tuesday, so her father was at work and Elijah was at school.

Her mother shook her head, ginger strands flying about. "Elijah doesn't really watch television," she said, taking the toy from Kieran's hands and hanging it back on the peg from where it was originally, "I think we should probably go to a sporting goods store. He is starting hockey next month, and he needs gear."

"Oh," Kieran looked down with a forlorn look, "I just thought that he would like it, but if you insi-"

A piercing scream halted Kieran's thought. In a mad dash, her mother grabbed her and ran for the exit of the store. Unfortunately, the store exit was not the place in which the two needed to be. A group of people in masks of skulls and long black robes stood, with short sticks pointed from their hands. In front of them, a wailing child was holding his seemingly broken knee, writhing on the floor.

"Can't you pick on someone your own size?" Joanna raised her voice at the strange men. Putting down Kieran, she said, "Everyone is going to be okay," then proceeded to rush toward the men, her right fist high in a way a mother gets when her child is endangered.

"Avada kedavra!" one of the masked men yelled, and a green light from the tip of the stick he was holding hit her mother square in the abdomen, launching her back into a rack of trading cards. After the impact, Joanna Himmel remained still, never to move again.

Another woman, a brunette on the petite side, rushed forward from the stuffed animals, pulling another stick from her purse. The woman and the masked people started to yell extremely weird things at one another, but she could not protect the others either. Within ten minutes, all of her bones were snapped and she lie on the floor motionless.

"POLICE, PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS!" A policeman came into the store, holding a shotgun to the attackers. Unfortunately, the same words that killed Joanna had just killed the officer as well, with not even a moment to act. The officer fell to the floor, a startled expression permanently frozen upon his face.

Kieran was too terrified to scream. Did all of these people just die? And for what reason? Why did her mother have to die to protect her?

"We don't want to cause any more harm," a megaphone blared as she and the others found the store to be swarmed with police. One man, who seemed to be the leader, muttered something and in turn all of the masked men had vanished.

The officers, one by one, came over to the various children, checking their injuries. Kieran froze as the man in black came over to ask her name. She clutched her stuffed wolf, Moony, to her face as he asked her questions. "Don't worry, little one," the officer said, "They won't hurt you anymore."

February 28th, 2015

"And God said on the first day, 'Let there be light', and there was light. Can you imagine a world without light? That would be a dark and scary place."

CCD was probably God's form of pre-hell torture, Kieran thought as she flipped through her Bible. Her father had already schooled her to death and back on the Word, and she was fed up with hearing the beginning of Genesis. However, she always wondered how it would be if things were different than what the Bible stated. She decided that today would be the day that she would ask. "Teacher, what if God decided that he liked the darkness sometimes, for there can't be darkness without light, and there cannot be light without darkness."

Her peers and teachers stared at her in complete disbelief. "Well, Kieran, that's just absurd," the teacher chuckled, "God is the Father, the healer, the creator of life and goodness. He is a solid being. He can't just change his mind like that." The other students laughed, pointing fingers.

She worked up all of that courage to ask, only to be mocked by people that she thought could be trusted. That…was incredibly rude. To be hurt like that with the permission of an adult filled Kieran's heart with rage so powerful…

…that the light bulbs broke, glass went everywhere and everything went black.

The students' laughter halted in an instant, too stunned to react. "I'll go grab the principal," the teacher said, leaving the room in darkness with the children still inside. After she left, all of the children gave an accusatory look at Kieran.

"Well, I guess we know what the world would look like dark," Kieran snickered.

June 2nd, 2017

"Kieran, dinnertime!"

Kieran rushed down the stairs to find that her favorite meal, Sunday Roast, was on the kitchen table, piping hot. Her brother was already seated, looking extremely annoyed. "I'm hungry, sit the heck down."

"Elijah, what did I tell you about that language, especially with your sister?"

"Sorry, Pop," he mumbled as Kieran sat down to her gravy-drenched beef and potatoes. The family dug in, discussing their days at school and work.

"So, you're eleven years old now!" Felix, her father, exclaimed, "What are you going to do now that you're this old?"

"Well, I don't kno-"

BOOM.

Panic set into Kieran as the thunder came from the foyer. "Kieran, it is your birthday," Felix stammered, "Why don't you go answer the door?"

"If I die, I blame you," Kieran murmured as she rose to check the entryway. Tiptoeing into the main room, she found a large man, twice the size of her father, whose hair was long, matted and all sorts of gray shades. Dressed in a mangled leather trench coat, the man seemed to be about the size of a linebacker on steroids. His face had laugh lines about the cheeks, as if he smiled most of the time.

"Hello!" the giant's gravelly voice entered the grand foyer of the large house, "Yeh don't mind if I join yeh for dinner, do yer?"

"Um…," Kieran was confused and fearing for her safety, and then she realized that he seemed like a giant teddy bear, "Sure! We're having Sunday Roast tonight, and birthday cake for dessert. Chocolate birthday cake." She led the strange man to the dining room, where her father and brother sat, frightened expressions drawn upon their faces. "You don't mind if…um..what's your name?" she asked the large man.

"Hagrid," the giant replied, "Rubeus Hagrid."

"Hagrid joins us for dinner, do you?" Kieran asked, with a little pout placed upon her upper lip.

"How do you know if this man is safe?" Felix shouted, "He could be a child molester!"

"I've been doing this since before yeh were born," Hagrid said, grinning at the man, "She couldn't be in safer hands!" He shrank into his seat, looking down to his potatoes.

"So I came here fer a reason, Kieran," Hagrid looked at the girl as he helped himself to the beef and gravy.

"And that would be?" Felix asked, giving Hagrid the eyeball.

"Yer a witch, Kieran," Hagrid beamed, pulling a letter out of his pocket and handing it to the preteen. Snatching it, she ripped around the wax seal. The letter read as follows:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmistress Minerva McGonagall

Order of Merlin, First Class

Professor of the Year for 10 Years

Dear Miss Himmel,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl no further than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Filius Flitwick

Deputy Headmaster

On the back read a list of supplies, some of which were extremely off the wall, such as crystal phials and a toad. Kieran was stunned, but also wondered if this was real. Then again…

…this would explain a lot about her subconscious aversion to the Catholic Church.

"I KNEW SHE WAS SCREWY!" Elijah pointed and yelled, "She's possessed by Satan, father!"

"You were right son, it was only a matter of time," Felix gritted his teeth and pulled out a vial of holy water. He poured the contents on Kieran. "The power of Christ compels you!"

"Yeh know that doesn't work, right?" Hagrid sighed, "She's not a demon; she's a witch. Her powers have nothing to do with her beliefs."

"GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN!" Elijah lunged for Kieran's abdomen, only to be stopped by the sheer force of Hagrid's hand. The 15-year-old fell back on his backside, staring in pure rage.

"I can see that yer not going to be safe here," Hagrid said to Kieran amongst all of the panic, "Do you want to go to Hogwarts?"

"Get me out of this house of freaks," she whispered, holding back tears. Clutching onto Hagrid, he picked her up and carried her out of the building.

Felix ran out behind the giant and the small girl. "Don't ever bother coming back, you possessed piece of demonic garbage!" he roared as the two set out into a world that Kieran hasn't even begun to understand.


	3. Ebony's Diagon Alley Trip

August 12, Diagon Alley

Ebony and Oliver walk through the Leaky Cauldron to get into the Alleyway. "Where do you want to go first, dear?" Oliver asked Ebony, who was speeding through the brick wall turned archway. "Well, Dad, I _want_ to go to Flourish and Blotts. But I know that I could take forever in there. Let's get my cauldron and potions supplies first." Ebony reasoned, knowing that her love of books could have her spending the rest of her life in the bookstore on the North Side of Diagon Alley.

Oliver and Ebony reached the cauldron shop, and went inside. Potage's shop was a cauldron wonderland, with cauldrons stacked from floor almost to ceiling in an attempt to clear a walkway to the register. There were piles of brass, silver, pewter, and even gold cauldrons. Ebony went straight to the pewter cauldrons, knowing that her father would only allow what was on the list Hogwarts had sent. She picked up a Size 2 Standard Pewter cauldron, and went with Oliver right up to the register. Oliver paid 15 gold galleons.

They left the shop, Oliver toting the cauldron, and headed to their next stop on the list. Ebony went a few doors down to Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment. Both entered the shop, and Ebony went down the list, first gathering a set of glass phials, priced at 3 galleons each. She gathered up 6 of the phials, and set them on the counter. Next, she went and picked up a brass telescope, which cost 5 galleons. She was very thankful that her father was able to pay for brand new equipment for her, because the second-hand telescopes she saw down the street were in nasty conditions. She took the telescope to the counter, and went to gather up a set of brass scales, with the sign next to them saying 3 galleons. Her father paid 26 whole galleons for her supplies and, with the glass phials carefully wrapped in some of the Daily Prophet's newspapers from a few years ago, Oliver set the supplies into the cauldron to carry them. She then led the way to Madam Malkin's shop.

Madam Malkin, though she was getting on in her years, was still running the shop. She flittered between a few children already being fitted for robes. She addressed them as she was working on a medium height boy with straight black hair and a slightly arrogant demeanor. "I'll be with you in a moment, dearie. Take a quick look around while you wait, if you'd like." She said, as she hemmed the pants on the black-haired boy. He looked down at her, watching her every move as she worked her way up his pant leg. Ebony, softly giggling at the boy's obvious discomfort, went to browse the winter cloaks. She settled for a soft grey fabric which went nicely with the black of the uniform. She took the cloak off the rack to try it on, fixing the clasp at the nape of her neck and spun to show her father. He had already set the cauldron full of her supplies down on the chairs next to the counter, and he nodded approvingly. He took the cloak as Ebony was up for her fitting. One of the boys, the one in the middle, was done with his fitting, and she stepped up onto the small table.

"Are you going to Hogwarts too?" She asked the black-haired boy. He nodded, and then winced as Madam Malkin accidentally stuck his leg with a pin.

"I'm a first year. You?" He asked Ebony, who nodded also. "I'm Polaris. Like the star." He said in introduction, before inquiring with a look for Ebony's name.

"Ebony." She offered with a smile as Madam Malkin worked on her fitting. Polaris, almost done, took the robes over to the register to pay. He took one more look at Ebony, said "Good luck. See you on the train" and he disappeared into the crowded street.

Ebony, a half hour later, went out into the crowded street herself at Oliver's side. The robes had cost them a great deal (Oliver wouldn't let her see the price this time) and now it was time for the bookstore. Ebony was giddy by the time they entered Flourish and Blotts Bookstore, and she went straight to the young adult section of the bookstore. Oliver smiled at his bookworm daughter, and went to gather the books needed for first year Hogwarts students. He was lucky enough that the store owners had a few bundles left over of all of the books needed for that year. He grabbed one and went to pay, knowing that Ebony would bring at least one other over with her to buy. He refused to let her see the prices of the school books, simply stating "Education has no price" when she inquired later on.

Ebony walked over to the counter her dad was waiting at, clutching a book about Merlin and Morgana written for 13 year olds. Oliver, knowing that Ebony was mature enough to handle it, paid for the novel and the father daughter couple went on their way once more. They only had one thing left to get: Ebony's wand.

Stopping at Ollivander's Wand Shop, Ebony looked at the dusty old shop in excitement and apprehension. She had heard of the owner's father being a bit crazy, and wondered if the man inside would be also. Oliver opened the door to the shop, and Ebony entered. There was already a girl standing at the counter. Ebony, looking at the boxes of wands, watched as the girl in front of her looked almost afraid of getting a wand. She smiled. Maybe she could ease this girl's fears of her first wand, as she looked Muggle-raised.

"Don't worry. They don't bite." Ebony said as she walked up next to the red-head. Her dark red hair looked almost black in the lighting of the dusty shop. The girl whirled around to face her; seemingly unaware of Ebony's entering of the shop. She muttered, "I wasn't scared," and she turned to the sound of wood hitting wood. A man appeared out of nowhere, riding a ladder like those in older libraries. His misty blue eyes told Ebony that this man had knowledge beyond his years, like her father told her that Garrick Ollivander had.

"Ah, customers. I was curious when I would get some. You see, my father has left me his shop. This is my first day running it alone, "he said, as he climbed down the ladder. He nodded to Oliver and Hagrid, who stood in the back of the store so as not to break anything. Gustave Ollivander motioned to the girl with red hair, who stepped forward, as if to prove that she wasn't afraid. Ebony, drowning out the man's words until she heard her name being called, looked around the shop at the dusty boxes, occasionally glancing at the girl to look out for broken glass and flying boxes. As soon as the girl paid and left with Hagrid, it was Ebony's turn.

Ebony, standing at the counter just like the girl before her, took the proffered wand from Gustave's hand. "Ash and Unicorn hair, 9 inches." She waved the wand once, and instantly more boxes flew from their spots on the shelves. She set the wand down on the counter, knowing that this one wasn't hers.

Gustave was already digging for another. He offered her another wand, this time: "Oak and Dragon Heartstring, 11 inches." She waved this one also, and she instantly regrets that as Gustave flew back and smacked a bookcase hard. He stood and shook the blast off and smiled.

"Father would have liked you." He said, going into the back of the store and emerging with a new box that looked very ornate compared to the other boxes. "This was the last one he made. I hope this one suits you, Ms. Ebony. Laurel and Phoenix feather, 10 inches." She reached for the wand in Gustave's hand, and instantly felt the warmth of magic as she looked up and saw blue and grey sparks, mixed with a bit of green. The magic died down, and Gustave jumped up and down with giddiness. "Father would have definitely liked you." He said again, as he placed the wand back into the box and handed the box to Ebony. Oliver placed a hand on her shoulder, digging for the money to pay for the exquisite magical tool. The pair then left the shop and headed home to unpack and get food.

Ebony, after unpacking her stuff, went to the front door of their flat, and hollered. "Dad! I'm going to go get food! I'll bring you back a special!" She said as she left. Ebony crossed the street, and made her way back to the Leaky Cauldron. As she was leaving with the food, she caught a glimpse of dark red hair. Curious, Ebony went to investigate. She saw the girl from the wand shop, digging through the trash for something. Ebony approached, trying not to startle the girl, and asked, "What're you looking for?"

"Cardboard." The girl responded, still digging through the trash. Ebony was confused, and her tone of voice showed this. "What is that?" "You don't know what cardboard is?" The girl seemed surprised, and she had stopped digging by now. "Nope. What do you need this 'cardboard' stuff for, anyways?" Ebony asked. "I'm going to make a sign. I kinda lost my guide home." Ebony now looked concerned. "Umm… Maybe my Dad can help. He knew the guy that you were with." The girl looked relieved, and nodded.

"That sounds awesome. If nothing else, maybe he can find me a place to sleep tonight." Ebony said nothing, and motioned for her to follow. The girls crossed the street, and Ebony and the girl, named Kieran, introduced themselves.

Oliver heard the door open again, and he entered the living room of the flat, and was instantly curious as to who the second voice was. He stuck his head around the wall and was relieved to see the small red-haired girl from the wand shop. Oliver stuck his wand back into his sleeve and walked into the room. Ebony was dishing out the food that she had bought from the Leaky Cauldron onto their dishes, and, as soon as she saw Oliver, she babbled about the girl with her, explaining that Kieran (who he assumed was the red-head) had nowhere to go, after she had learned that Kieran had been kicked out for being a witch in a muggle family. Oliver, stopping Ebony's tirade with a finger to her mouth, slightly scolded Ebony for bringing someone they didn't know before today into the house, citing the Second Wizarding War as an example. Ebony lowered her head, realizing her mistake, but Oliver brushed it off as no harm done. Oliver went to Kieran and said, "Well, dear, I think I can find someone. Let me make a few calls and see." Oliver then went straight to the fireplace, kneeling down and floo-calling Angelina. He explained the situation to her, and she said one word, "Luna."

"Lovegood? You can't mean the same girl I'm thinking of." Oliver stated, confused as to why Angelina would suggest the girl. Angelina nodded, which looked odd as a head floating in a fireplace. "George's Dad has helped to her understand muggleborns, and she's been looking to help any who need her. " Oliver shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as he started to feel a headache coming. "I'll phone her soon. Thank you, Angelina." She nodded, said "No problem, Oliver," and the floo call ended.

Oliver, hoping that Luna was available to help him, now called the Lovegood residence. Luna, the cheery blonde, answered the floo and immediately said, "Lovegood-Scamander residence and Office of the Quibbler, can I help you?"

"Um… Yes. Luna, I hear from Angelina that you're looking to help out muggleborns who have been kicked out of their houses?"

"Why, yes. I am. Rolf says that I would be wonderful at helping. But I changed my mind about helping just muggleborns. I want to help all orphans, so I'm going to help all Wizarding orphans. Can I help you, Oliver Wood?"

Oliver already felt the sweat drop on his forehead, and wiped his wrist across his brow. He cleared his throat, and heard Ebony in the background saying, "Dad's on the floo, but you can have some food while we wait."

"Ebony, my daughter, found a girl who could use an establishment like the home that you're offering. She's a muggleborn, I think, who has been kicked out of her house and needs a place to stay until Hogwarts starts. Can I send her over?"

Luna giggled with glee at the thought of helping someone. She nodded, and Oliver sighed with relief. "We'll be over after supper, then. Thank you, Luna. It's a big help."

"Not a problem, Oliver Wood. See you in a bit, then," and the call ended. After supper, the girls and Oliver, who was carrying Kieran's things for her, went through the floo to the Rookery, Luna's house in Ottery St. Catchpole. Ebony and Oliver said their goodbyes and went back to their flat in London, where Oliver sent Ebony to bed after their exhausting day. He followed soon after, hoping that September 1st would come slowly.

(A.N- These prices are straight from Pottermore. Any issues with these prices should be directed to the developers there.)


	4. Nargles, Trains and a Decaying Hat

August 12th, 2017

Kieran was shaking in fright. Never in her short existence had she seen green fire outside of the television. Yet, this insane man and his equally crazy daughter expected her to walk through it. "You can't be serious," Kieran murmured as she took a quiet step back, "I'll die. Plain and simple."

"No, you won't!" Ebony giggled as she took a hand of the powder that had just burnt her father to nothing and led Kieran toward the fireplace, "You'll feel a little ticklish, but it's okay. You'll just end up where you tell the Floo Powder to take you. Speak clearly, though, or else you'll end up somewhere weird. Like the time Uncle Harry got stuck in Knockturn Alley. But we're not gonna mention that."

Holding Kieran's hand, Ebony held the handful of mint green powder out like she was leading the world's very existence with it. "The Rookery!" the small, slender girl shouted and threw the sediment to the ground, thus making it burst into intense viridian flames around the two. Ebony was right- there was an slight ticklish feeling throughout her entire body, but that had soon disappeared and there they were, in yet another fireplace. This one was strange though….it had a pillow lining the back wall of it for some odd, unknown reason.

With the motion of Oliver, who had been sitting within the common area, Kieran began to step forward, only to be tackled by a couple of white blonde boys in strange paisley robes. The boys, who seemed to be twins by their eerily similar build and facial features, then faced each other and started to laugh maniacally. "Who do you think we scared more, the newbie or Ebony?" the one on the right asked.

"Definitely the redhead," the one on the left chuckled, "Her face was priceless."

"LORCAN AND LYSANDER!" a shrill, high soprano came from the far left of the room. Kieran got fully out of the fireplace to see the source of the voice, a woman who also shared the pale features of the boys. Apparently this was the infamous Luna Lovegood. "Apologize to our new tenant. That's an order, not a request!"

The twins mumbled something unintelligible. "Like you mean it," Luna coaxed her sons.

"I'm sorry," the duo said in unison, as if they were one person in two different bodies.

"I apologize for my sons' rude behavior," Luna sighed as she faced Kieran, who smiled as she grabbed her cauldron from the floor of the fireplace, "They tend to be little tricksters. Just so you can tell, Lysander's the one who always has an evil plot and Lorcan's the spacey one who follows Lysander blindly."

"MUM!" Lorcan squealed as he puffed his chest out, "Don't make me sound so weak!"

"Your time with come, dear," Luna smiled as she held Lorcan, who wore baby blue robes, in contrast with his twin wearing a deep plum. Luna extended a welcoming gesture to Kieran, "I am Luna Scamander, the woman who runs this asylum. We have both nuts and squirrels, as well as moon frogs, umgubular slashkilters, and eight-year-olds." Luna shot a glare at the twins, who were now cowarding behind a self-rocking recliner. What in the world have I gotten myself into, Kieran thought as she looked around. The place was cleaning itself, scrub brushes in midair and the sewing machine operating on its own. The place was so quaint, yet so loud. There were magazine snippets covering the wall to her left, most of which describing a man named Harry Potter or are from some magazine called the Quibbler. It was…very very nice.

"Dear? You haven't introduced yourself?" Luna asked, one eyebrow quirking upward.

"Oh, yes, sorry!" Kieran stumbled, looking for words in the midst of this chaos, "I'm Kieran, ma'am. Kieran Himmel."

"Himmel," Luna looked toward the sky, "Now that's a name that no one has heard of before. Are you, by chance, Muggleborn?"

"Yup," Kieran said, a blush emerging upon her face, which the auburn hair only intensified, "My father kicked me out."

"Catholic nut?"

"You know it."

"We most certainly do," Luna smiled, making Kieran feel a little more comfortable, "That happens a lot at Hogwarts. Fortunately, all of them now have a place to stay, here. Will you live here?"

"A-are you sure?" Kieran stammered. This was too much for a busy mother to offer, especially one who already keeps rambunctious boys in the house.

"Yes," Luna sighed, "This place may look small, but it is quite cozy. We have about 6 underground floors, you know, in case we have a mass nargle outbreak. You get your choice of room, since you are the first non-Lovegood kid to be staying in the house. I'll try to make it as comfy as possible, meaning no exploding cooking quite yet."

Kieran decided to let that go, considering she'd probably learn about it later anyways. It was getting late, so she went to pick up her cauldron again. "No, don't worry about it," Luna grinned, "I'll just Summon it to your room when you pick it."

"Well, I guess this is it," Kieran turned to Ebony, who seemed to have a tear rolling down her right cheek.

"But we just met!" Ebony stifled a cry as she said this.

"Term's in a few weeks," Kieran sighed as she pulled Kieran in closer to herself, "And I'm pretty sure Mrs. Scamander would be alright with you coming over."

"Oh, of course!" Luna exclaimed, "We really miss you, Ebony, the boys especially."

"Okay…," Ebony pouted as she grasped her newfound friend to her, "I'll see you on the train?"

"Be there or be square!" As Kieran withdrew from the embrace, she found Ebony's nymphlike face to be in a twist of confusion. "Muggle saying."

"Oh. Well, bye!" Ebony said as she walked to the fireplace, attempting to find the Scamanders' Floo Powder pot.

"Thank you, Luna, for taking her in," Oliver said with a genuine look of gratefulness on his face, "This will change wizarding history."

"Oh, no problem!" Luna exclaimed, "If I can handle those boys, she'll be a piece of Heliopath Pie."

"See you at the station, Kieran," Oliver said as he took a hand of the misplaced Floo Powder and in fierce green fire whisked he and Ebony back to London.

August 31, 2017

Kieran was stunned by her surroundings. Businessmen in suits, mothers with strollers, and punk teenagers flitted to her left and right, and it seemed…normal. So where was this Platform 9 ¾? She saw a 9th and 10th platform, but not one in between. "Luna?"

"Yes, Kieran?" Luna smiled down at me.

"I'm confused," Kieran blushed, "There's a Platform 9 and a Platform 10, so where's Platform 9 ¾?

"Well, I guess it's in between the platforms," she said.

"There _is _no in between platforms."

"You just walk through the brick wall, silly!" Luna giggled as she motioned to the brick pillar in between the two platforms.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Kieran asked, "I mean, I won't break my face?"

"We'll do it together, then," she laughed, took Kieran's hand in one hand, her cart of stuff in the other. Together they dashed into the column, only to not feel any sort of pain. Instead, Kieran opened her eyes to a majestic black and red train. Above her head a sign red _Platform 9 ¾ Hogwarts Express_. Within that instant, she knew that she had at last made it to the school she had only heard and read about.

"Kieran!" A shout in the distance revealed Ebony Wood, the girl that she had met in Diagon Alley who had taken her to the Scamander house. She had her pale chestnut hair up in abnormally high pigtails, to the point where they had looked like they were clipped onto the sides of her head. Combined with her small stature, she looked like an anime character. Kieran ran toward her friend with a smile that could be seen from a Quidditch field away.

"I missed you!" Kieran exclaimed as she picked Ebony up from the ground. The small one laughed ferociously at the reunion as she begged for the larger of the two girls to put her down.

"I missed you too, but we need to get on that train within the next minute. Bye, Dad!" Ebony took a look at her father, who was standing in the background. She jumped up to give him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, as Kieran said her farewell to Luna. The twins were back at the house with Rolf, who had taken the morning off from work to look after the boys.

"I'll send you a letter with Gylfie within the next week, Kierie," Luna said. Gylfie was the Scamanders' elf owl. He was a little bit spacey and if he saw anything shiny he would swoop down to check it out. Gylfie would be lost for days every time he had to go through London.

"Okay," Kieran looked up at Luna, "I'll see you at Christmas." Kieran turned toward the whistling train and ran to the nearest cab door. Inside, it looked like your average old steam engine passenger car. There were a great many compartments, all filled to the brim with students, both young like Kieran and older. A pale, elvish looking blond boy was looking through, a couple of burly boys following him.

"Quick, let's find our own compartment quickly so we don't have to sit with any Mudbloods," the leader said, not thinking of what he just said.

"Disgusting," Ebony turned her head as she proceeded to attempt to find an empty compartment, to no avail. Each compartment seemed to seem fuller, in Kieran's perspective. Finally, there was a compartment close to the back with two boys. The black haired one had on a red sweater with a J on it, and the ginger haired one had a green sweater with an F and a roman numeral 2 on it. Together, they seemed as if they were almost family. Ebony seemed to recognize them, as she had gone to open the compartment door, "Hi, Fred II. Hi, James."

"Hey," the black haired one said as he scooted over to allow Ebony to sit, "Long time, no Snitch catch."

"Shut up, James," Ebony sighed as she took a seat next to him. Kieran took a seat alongside the ginger, who was looking at her oddly, as if he was uncomfortable sitting next to a stranger. "Oh this is Kieran Himmel, guys. She's a muggleborn, so be nice to her and don't play any pranks on her until after she's used to everything."

"But that's no fun," James sighed as he leaned forward to extend his hand, "I'm James, Kieran, James Potter."

"I'm Fred Weasley the Second," the ginger one eased and laughed, "But most people call me Fred II. I'm waiting for everyone to start calling me just Two one day."

"I grew up with these two goofballs," Ebony smiled, "James is really good at Quidditch, and Fred II is a pranking mastermind. We grew up together, what with Dad coaching national league Quidditch and all. They're good kids."

Kieran was relieved to know that Ebony had friends that she could trust. It still worried her that all of her friends were boys, but hey what did she know? "Um, Ebony, I have a question."

"Fire away," James said, smiling viciously.

"What's a Mudblood?"

"Who called you that?" Fred II growled. It must have been bad, considering his reaction.

"We overheard some boy complaining about having to sit with them," Ebony sighed, "It's a horribly offensive term for a muggleborn. Some wizards have purely wizard blood, and prejudice against those who don't. Some have even gone to the extreme and have killed muggleborn wizards and witches to keep the bloodlines pure."

"It's a sickening part of wizarding history that none of us like very much," James muttered, "My father, as well as many other great wizards and witches, have put a stop to it for the most part. What did this idiot look like so I can go ahead and hex him?"

"No hexing the fresh meat," Fred II coaxed, "We need to do funnier things to him first."

"Well, he had pale blonde slicked back hair and wore all black," Kieran described the boy, "He seemed like a total snob."

"How many Sickles do you want to bet that it was the Malfoy kid?" James's face lit up, as if he knew it was definitely in his favor.

"I am not taking that bet," Fred II seemed annoyed, "It has to be. No one else would be that retarded other than Scorpius."

"The Malfoy family is one of the few Pureblood families left in the wizarding world," Ebony explained, "They are very affluent, and have an incredible fortune to their name. We also know that Scorpius's father was a Death Eater."

"Death Eater?"

The train whistled, signifying that the train was close to school. "We better get our robes on," Ebony replied, "More on the Death Eaters later."

The girls found a restroom on the train, and together, they had put their robes on for the first time. The two of them looked absolutely wonderful for their initial presentation to the school. Kieran felt as though the sorting would go well.

The train came to an abrupt halt. Students, now all dressed in robes, scurried left and right to find an exit to get to the castle. Once upon the platform, Kieran had spotted Hagrid, yelling across the platform, "First years! Yer comin' with me!"

"Hi, Hagrid!" Kieran exclaimed, happy to see yet another familiar face.

"Oh, Kieran! Sorry fer leaving yer in Diagon Alley like that! I had some Hogwarts business ter take care of. It looks like er'ryone's here now. Follow me!" Hagrid shouted as he lead the group of the smallest students to a dock overlooking what seemed like a lake that was miles long.

"This here is a right o' passage," Hagrid explained to the first year students, "We welcome you ter Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now, I wan' yer ter get in these boats and we'll sail ter the castle!" The giant turned away from the students, torch in hand as he led the new students to the boats. In each boat sat 4 students, totaling about 45 students. The boats magically set off to sail without any sort of push – magic was a beautiful thing. Kieran gasped as she took in the sights around her. A grand castle with a lot of small lights slowly came into view. The waves of the sea both calmed her and gave her anxiety.

That is, until the sound of glass smashing broke her euphoria.

"Robyn, can't you even wait til we get in the castle until you explode something?" a giggling dark – skinned girl pointed and laughed at her friend, who was holding the end of the now-broken torch.

Alas, the ride had come to an end at the very edge of the castle grounds. The students slowly left the boats, in fear of tipping them and falling into the seemingly deadly lake. Hagrid strode over to the front of the group and proceeded to lead them to the front arch of the castle, where a legal dwarf with silver hair and a handle bar mustache seemed to be waiting.

"Rubeus," the little man said in a voice that seemed to be a tad too deep for his stature.

"Filius," Hagrid beamed, "Meet the class of 2014!" He then had motioned to the large group of students, all of which were starting to relax a little bit more.

"Thank you," Filius had said, "First Year students, follow me!" The kids were slowly starting to whisper about their thoughts on what Hogwarts was like so far. Everything was heard from the wonders of the taste of food to the beauty of the castle. Finally, Filius came to a halt, to turn around and face them at an incredible set of double doors. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," he announced over the crowd, "I am Filius Flitwick, Deputy Headmaster. In just a few moments, you will be sorted into one of the four houses, named after the four founders of this school. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. This is not a test you have to pass," a scrawny ginger put her head down in shame, "but one based on your traits and personality. There is no right or wrong answer. Now I will announce your arrival to the headmistress and the rest of the school. Please behave yourselves. It's only your first day here." With that, he shuffled beyond the doors, only to leave the new student body.

"I wonder what house you'll be in?" Ebony said, "With wizarding families, they usually fall into the houses of their predecessors, but you're muggleborn, so…"

"What house was your dad in?" Kieran asked.

"Gryffindor," Ebony replied, "The house where only the bravest students reside. My mom was a Ravenclaw. I could end up in either. I couldn't possibly be in Hufflepuff or Slytherin."

"That's not true," a smallish boy with jet black hair and bright emerald eyes came forward, "My dad almost ended up in Slytherin."

"Wait a minute…YOUR DAD. THE HARRY POTTER. Almost ended up in Slytherin?" the rude blonde from the train came forward, "It's not possible. No way in Godric's Hollow could that happen."

"He told me that the hat gave him a choice," the Potter boy responded, "By the way, hi, Ebony."

"Hi, Alby!"

"Please, for the love of Merlin, don't call me that," Alby replied, then turned to Kieran, "The name's Albus, Albus Potter."

"Are you James's brother?" Kieran asked, looking at him.

"You met him already?" Albus replied, looking frightened, "He didn't talk about me at all, did he?"

"No," Kieran said, "why?"

"To put it bluntly, he's a bit of a buttface." Albus turned over to the blonde, "And you are?"

"Scorpius Malfoy," he said.

"Pleasure," Kieran said, although the look on her face said otherwise, "I'm Kieran Himmel. Over there is my friend, Ebony Wood."

"First Years!" Flitwick came back through the double doors, "it is time for your sorting! Follow me!" The students followed the dwarf into a grand dining hall filled with students left and right. The students were sorted into four tables, just like the houses. A smaller table at the end seemed to hold older wizards, signifying that they are faculty. In front of the faculty table was a barstool with an old, decaying hat upon the seat. "Now when I call your name, you are to come up on the chair and I shall place the Sorting Hat upon your head," Flitwick announced as he picked up the hat, "and it will announce which house you will reside in for the next seven years of your life. Your house is your group. If you gain merit, your house gets points. Likewise, if you get into trouble, your house loses points. The points are tallied at the end of the year, and whoever has the most wins the House Cup. Abney, Nina!"

An athletic girl with tall stature came up to the stool and gingerly sat upon it. Flitwick had to get a footstool to place the hat upon her head, and when "GRYFFINDOR!" was announced, he remained on it as Nina left to join the other Gryffindors.

"Black, Polaris!" Ebony looked up and recognized him from Diagon Alley. He strolled up the the chair with a swagger only a Black could have. With a smirk, he let the hat descend on his messed up hair.

"Another one? We're running out of space for all of you Blacks! Then again, you do seem to act like Sirius…better put you in GRYFFINDOR!"

Students, one by one went up, (Corner, Michelle! RAVENCLAW! Goyle, Gerard! SLYTHERIN!) and were sorted in every house imaginable. Finally, "Himmel, Kieran!" was called and she walked forward to the stool, where the drawf put the decaying cap onto her springy auburn hair.

"What have we? Someone new?" the Sorting Hat laughed, "You look like you're going to be a lot of fun. I can be certain of it. GRYFFINDOR!"

The table of students wearing red and gold shouted and clapped as Kieran bounced off the stool. Sure she was going to be in the same house as James and the girl who caught everything on fire, but it was going to be fun.

A/N: The Sorting will be continued…IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes, I know, I'm evil.


	5. The Rest of the Sorting (and Day 1)

August 31, 2017

The students who haven't been called looked around at the great hall, waiting anxiously for their names to be called. Ebony looked up to the ceiling, happily noting that the book _Hogwarts, A History_ hadn't lied. She knew that the Great Hall she was standing in had been remodeled since the Second War, so she was glad to see that the repairs had met the standards set by the ancient text.

"Malfoy, Scorpius" Ebony saw a blonde boy walk proudly up into the three-legged stool set before the teachers' table of the Great Hall, and watched as the ragged looking hat was placed atop his blonde locks. The hat took less than a minute to decide "Slytherin!" Scorpius removed the hat and handed it to the small professor, thinking to himself that his mother and father would be proud. He decided to write to them as soon as dinner was over. A few other students' names were called, but Ebony didn't really pay attention to their names or houses. However, once the name, "Potter, Albus" was called, everyone who grew up in the magical world craned their heads to see him. He made his way to the front and sat upon the stool. The hat sat upon his head for a minute or two, and the resounding "Gryffindor" had the red and gold house cheering and cat-calling. James looked proud of his younger sibling, and James and Albus high-fived before Flitwick called order.

Ebony, realizing that the hat might not be able to fit over her pigtails, removes her hair from its binding. She again looked around, seeing Fred II sitting at the Slytherin table a little bit away from where the new first years were sitting. She smiled, and soon enough, "Wood, Ebony" was called.

Ebony was a little nervous to be in front of the entire school, and her trembling knees seconded the fact. She inched toward the stool, and perched atop it, as Flitwick handed her the Sorting Hat. Ebony placed the old hat upon her head, and it fell to cover her eyes. She was kind of grateful because she couldn't see the crowd of students peering up at her. She heard the hat in her ear, whispering, "Now, where should I place you? You have qualities of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in you, my dear. The choice is up to you, because the qualities of the houses are equal in you."

Ebony gulped, and whispered, "Um… Ravenclaw, if you don't mind." She sighed in relief as the hat echoed her decision, and she handed the hat back to Flitwick, who smiled cheerily. She went to sit at the blue and bronze table, watching as her tie magically changed colors to reflect her new house. The sorting, almost over but a few first years needed to be placed, continued until at last, Margaret Zabini was sorted into Slytherin and she sat beside Scorpius Malfoy, looking proud. Scorpius was not too thrilled with how close the girl was to him, scooted closer to the second years, but not too close that it would seem awkward. The woman in the center of the table of professors now stood, and the students all turned to face her.

"Welcome, dear students, to Hogwarts. Here, my predecessor would have said something odd, and his portrait asked me to pass this on to all of you: "May the Fourth be with you." Now, don't ask me what that means. Let the feast begin."

As soon as the last word escaped her lips, food appeared on all of the tables. Roast beef, pork chops, sausages, bacon, steak, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, and for some insane reason: peppermint humbugs. Ebony also saw that there was different food on different tables, but no one got up to request something specific. Seeing her favorite, roast chicken, on the Gryffindor table, she stood and walked over carrying her plate. She walked up to the boy sitting next to Kieran, Polaris if she remembered correctly, and asked, "May I have a piece of the chicken? There's none on my table." Polaris sputtered, not expecting that, but placed a piece of chicken on Ebony's plate. Ebony smiled and walked back to the Ravenclaw table, not noticing the smile of Minerva McGonagall's face.

The feast ended soon after, and everyone had their fill of dinner and dessert. Minerva stood again, and called for the prefects to escort the first years to their house dormitories. The prefects stood, and the first years followed suit. The Ravenclaw prefects were Kendra Boot and Tanaka Amano, who both led the way to the Ravenclaw dorms. Kendra explained about the castle on the walk up to the Ravenclaw tower. A tight stairwell brought the group to a door, and the group stopped. A bronze, eagle-shaped knocker sat upon the door, unmoving. Tanaka explained to the first years, "To enter our common room, you must answer a riddle. Get it wrong, and you have to wait for someone else to come along. This way, we're always learning."

The eagle on the door knocker then blazoned to life and asked, "What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years?"

The first years thought and thought, until a girl in the back timidly said, "Is it the letter 'M'?" The door swung open at the letter, and the group entered, as Kendra patted the girl on the back and said words of congratulations. The group stood in a circular room, and the new students looked around. Graceful arched windows and silks of blue and bronze adorned the walls. A midnight blue carpet was at their feet, and the ceiling echoed the night sky as best it could without magic. A marble statue of the Founder of the House sat next to a door, assumedly to the dormitories.

Kendra walked to the front of the group, and said, "Girls' dormitories are on the left, after you walk through this door next to Rowena, our Founder. The boys' dormitories are on the right." With that, she let them loose to make their way to the first year dorm rooms. Ebony shared the room with Rose Weasley, Amelia Goldstein, Michele Corner, and Zenith Smith. She lay down to sleep after changing into pajamas, too exhausted and full from dinner.

The next morning, Ebony woke at the crack of dawn, simply from excitement at starting classes. She lay in bed for an hour or two. As the sun flew higher in the sky, the alarm clock on Rose's bed went off at 6 sharp. The noise startled Ebony a little, making her sit upright instantly. The others in the room slowly made their way to their trunks and unpacked school robes. Amelia immediately claimed the shower, and Zenith started pulling on her skirt. Ebony dressed, and went out into the hallway outside the common room, with Rose following behind her. Both girls grinned, and marched down to the Great Hall, remembering the way from the previous night.

The girls ate their breakfast together, and Zenith, Amelia and Michele arrived just as breakfast was being wrapped up. They grabbed a muffin or a slice of toast off of the table, and waited for Flitwick to hand them their schedules. Instead, Kendra walked over. "I'm handling the schedules for this year. Professor Flitwick woke up ill this morning, and Charms will be taught by a substitute professor until he recovers." The schedules read;

Monday was Herbology and Defence against the Dark Arts.

Tuesday was a little different, with Charms and Potions, followed by Astronomy at midnight.

Wednesday was a double lesson of Potions.

Thursday was Charms and Potions, and Friday was History of Magic and Transfiguration.

Ebony and Rose finished their breakfast soon after the schedules were given, and the Ravenclaw first years went towards the Hogwarts greenhouses for Herbology.

(**Author's Notes**: Kieran and I would like to thank everyone who has given our story a shot, and we hope we haven't disappointed you with our sortings for the characters. We will see more of Albus, Scorpius, and the others in the next chapter.

Kieran: As for Scorpius…we have big plans for him. (I say as Ebony sits and laughs at my typos)

Ebony: Thanks for stealing my laptop…

Kieran: Remember, I taught you how to use it.

Ebony: Yes, but my dad paid for it, so it's mine. Hands off. Anyways, watching videos on the floo-tube now.

Kieran: It's Youtube, not Floo-tube. And we're watching Gollum from the Lord of the Rings confronting Harry Potter.

Ebony: You mean James and Albus's dad? Why would he be talking with this Gollum guy?

Kieran: He's famous in the Muggle world. The Muggles know about the Wizarding world, but think it's fake. Fiction, they call it.

Ebony: Weird… Well, I think we bored the readers long enough. See ya next chapter!)


	6. First Day (Continued) and Halloween

(Author's Note: Since Kieran hasn't updated, even though it is her turn to do so, I will now post something. It's been long enough. This update will be smaller than the others, but only because I have nothing else to go on. Hopefully, I can talk Kieran into posting soon.–Ebony)

Herbology with Professor Longbottom went off without a hitch, unless you count the Venomous Tentacula sneaking up on the Professor and stealing his hat. The professor wanted to swear, Ebony could tell. However, he calmly just cast a spell (Ebony thought she heard the word _Diffindo_) and the hat was dropped onto the floor as the vines from the plant receded. Professor Longbottom went on with the lesson of how to use the tools of Herbology correctly.

Soon after that class, the Ravenclaw First Years were taken to the library by Kendra, and shown the way from there back to their Common Room. Ebony and Rose went about the rest of their day, retiring to the dormitories after dinner, discussing their lesson in Defense. The professor had taken twenty points off of Gryffindor House after one of Kieran's housemates, Finnigan, decided that she could teach the class better and ended up having to be rushed to the hospital wing to grow her hair back and remove the burn marks from her hands. Professor Dunbar, who Ebony learned had attended school with James's dad and had never married, had then taught them the Knockback Jinx, _Flipendo_. The rest of the lesson was spent practicing the spell on pillows, sending them from mid-air towards targets. Out of her class, Kieran, Rose, Ebony and Polaris all hit equal numbers of targets, earning them all five points each.

Before long, it was Halloween, and Ebony, Rose and her housemates were all gathered around the house tables for the Feast. The Jack-O-Lanterns that Hagrid had made were fantastic, and everyone except the Slytherins had complimented them. Ebony thought that she saw the half-giant crying when he heard Kieran's compliment on how big the pumpkins were. Smiling to herself, Ebony and Rose looked up to the teacher's table to see Mr. Potter, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley amongst the professors.

The time had come for the feast to start. Professor McGonagall stood up proudly and addressed the students.

"Halloween is a magical time for all of Wizard-kind. It is Samhain, and a blessed festival of Harvest. However, it is also a time of sorrow, as we remember James and Lily Potter, parents of Mr. Harry Potter, who has donated his time and money to our school's renovations. We also must remember the fallen, as Halloween and Samhain are both celebrations of remembering our fallen and celebrating their lives with us. Among Muggles, the custom is to dress up in costumes and beg for candies. As Wizards and Witches, we celebrate with this Feast, in honor of those who have left us behind to travel into the world beyond. So enjoy the Feast, dear students, and remember: Keep friends close."

After the speech, the school choir stood to perform a rendition of "This is Halloween" from a muggle movie. Ebony saw Kieran singing along silently, and vowed to ask her to watch the muggle film with her over summer or winter break.

Looking up to the Weasley/Potter Trio, Ebony was surprised to see them all looking around confused. She turned to Rose, who looked equally confused at her parents' actions as Ebony herself was. Therefore, Ebony shrugged, and went about her dessert (Brownie Parfait with huge cherries on top).

The classes went on, and soon enough, exams were upon them. Ebony was tired after exam week, but was overall satisfied with her EE grades in all subjects. She wondered how her friends in Gryffindor had fared on the exams given by their professors, as she was sure that Professor Flitwick had asked a few trick questions, and Professor Longbottom had switched plants to test on between classes.


End file.
